The 9th Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony was held in conjunction with a free afternoon’s Symposium for the first time. During the Awards Symposium, the 2010 Best Tall Building award winning projects from the four global regions were introduced by representatives from both the building owners and architects. Reflective presentations were also made upon the careers of the CTBUH 2010 Lifetime Achievement award winners.

Following the cocktail reception, guests took their seats for a welcoming address by CTBUH Chairman, Professor Sang Dae Kim. After a few words of welcome, Professor Kim invited CTBUH Vice Chair, David Scott to the stage to make a few personal remarks on CTBUH staff member Geri Kery, who after 29 years of dedicated service, left the Council this year. Geri took the stage to receive some parting gifts from the Council and offer a brief message of goodbye.

The Ceremony then continued with the Council’s Lifetime Achievement awards. The 2010 recipient of the Lynn S. Beedle Award was William Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. He was recognized for his achievements in architecture and the establishment of one of the world’s most celebrated firms and his contribution to the design of tall buildings embodied in the consistent quality of his vast portfolio of significant urban towers. The late Ysrael Seinuk of Ysrael A. Seinuk PC was awarded the 2010 Fazlur Khan Medal, which was accepted on his behalf by his daughter, Mrs. Beatriz Seinuk-Ackerman. Professor Seinuk was recognized for his natural ability to be innovative in developing efficient and economical structural solutions in challenging situations, one can hardly look upon the New York City skyline without seeing the influence of his engineering.

Beatriz Seinuk-Ackerman accepts the Fazlur Khan Medal on behalf of her father, the late Ysrael Seinuk

The CTBUH also recognized three new Fellows for 2010: Thomas J. McCool, Turner International LLC; Moira Moser, M. Moser Associates; and Shankar Nair, Teng & Associates. CTBUH Fellows are recognized for their contribution to the Council over an extended period of time, and in recognition of their work and sharing of their knowledge in the design and construction of tall buildings and the urban habitat.

Following the dinner service the regional Best Tall Building winners were invited onstage to collect their awards. Bank of America Tower (New York, USA) won the Best Tall Building Americas award and was accepted by Lisa Shpritz of building owners Bank of America, and Rick Cook of architects Cook + Fox. The Pinnacle @ Duxton (Singapore) won the Best Tall Building Asia & Australasia award and was accepted by Lawrence Pak of building owners Singapore Housing and Development Board, and Peng Beng Khoo of architects ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism. Broadcasting Place won the Best Tall Building Europe award and was accepted by George Downing of building owners Downing, and Alex Whitbread of architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE) won the Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa award and was accepted by Ali Odeh from Turner International, representing the building’s owner-developer, Emaar Properties, and George Efstathiou of the building’s architects/engineers, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.

The 2010 “Global Icon” award is accepted by Ali Odeh from Turner International (left) and George Efstathiou from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Representatives from the project team for Burj Khalifa gather on stage to accept the “Global Icon” award.

Following the presentation of the regional awards, CTBUH Executive Director, Antony Wood took the stage to announce that the awards committee had created a new award, the “Global Icon” award because of a particularly special project. This award recognizes those very special tall buildings that make a profound impact, not only on the local/regional context, but on the genre of tall buildings globally. Innovative in planning, design and execution, the building must have influenced and re-shaped the field of tall building architecture, engineering, and urban planning. It is intended that the award will only be conferred on an occasional basis, when merited by an exceptional project – perhaps every 10 or 15 years. It was announced that Burj Khalifa was the inaugural recipient of this new award, and the stage was filled by representatives from the entire project team to accept the award. As explained by CTBUH Awards Chair Gordon Gill, of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture: “There was discussion amongst members of the jury that the existing ‘Best Tall Building of the Year’ award wasn’t really appropriate for the Burj. We are talking about a building here that has changed the landscape of what is possible in architecture – a building that became internationally recognized as an icon long before it was even completed. ‘Building of the Century’ was thought a more apt title for it.”

With Burj Khalifa already recognized through the new icon award, Broadcasting Place took the 2010 “Best Tall Building Overall” award. George Downing and Alex Whitbread again took the stage with much surprise and enthusiastically accepted the award.